Arthritis is a musculoskeletal disorder which is one of the leading causes of disability in the United States of America and the rest of the world. In particular, osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most frequent articular pathologies in humans, and a common condition leading to total joint arthroplasty (artificial joint placement) in elderly individuals. Osteoarthritis is typically characterized by degenerative changes in the surface of the articular cartilage which results in cartilage thinning. It usually presents a pain, which worsens with exercise. Commonly affected joints are the knee, hips, spine, ankles, shoulders, fingers and toes.
To date, no therapies have been shown to unequivocally alter the clinical course of OA. The primary treatment goals are thus so far to relieve the OA symptoms, i.e., adequate pain relief and maintain mobility. Current treatments for OA include use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and intra-articular injections of corticosteroids. Prolonged use of NSAIDs can, however, lead to gastric ulcers, kidney damage, hearing loss and even inhibit cartilage formation. Corticosteroids provide short-term improvement of OA symptoms with quick onset of pain relief in the arthritic joints but their repeated use is limited due to the known side-effects of steroids.
Therefore, there is a need for development of new therapies for treating arthritis (e.g., osteoarthritis) that overcome or minimize the above-mentioned problems.